Regarding N&O June 16 editorial "Places rated": Every day families must quickly make difficult decisions about a care setting for a loved one; they need a guide to help choose the best quality. Thus it's no surprise that a recent AARP of NC poll of likely NC voters found 78% supporting a rating system for adult care homes. That's why Friends of Residents of Long Term Care (FOR-LTC), supports legislation (HB 248) using proven indicators of quality in a transparent, easy-to-understand way.
The bill isn't unfair to adult care homes; the state already separately licenses them and works with counties on oversight. Non-residential services (e.g., home care, home health, adult day care) are quite different--you don't have to move somewhere else to receive them. On the other hand, nursing homes already have extensive Federal oversight and consumers can use the "Nursing Home Compare" website. This bill imposes no new restrictions or regulations—the public is just given information that their government already has in its files. Further, it proposes studying other types of providers to figure out how to develop rating systems for them as well.
It's hard to provide quality care with current public payments. Yet it isn't clear that homes with only private-pay consumers will rate higher than those caring for consumers covered by public funds. We value the efforts of the many providers who care for our vulnerable elders on a limited budget; we shouldn't prejudge their quality by the type of clientele they serve. But across the board increases to all adult care homes might well reward the poor quality providers along with high quality ones. Instead, the proposed bill mandates a study of the feasibility of rewarding better-rated homes with higher public payments, while helping lower-rated homes with targeted technical assistance.
We appreciate the legislators on both sides of the aisle who thoughtfully crafted this legislation. FOR-LTC will collaborate with the Medical Care Commission, the State of NC, and the industry to make the system work. A focused policy--coordinating ratings, consumer choice, and payment tied to quality-- works well for NC child care centers and significantly improved their quality over the last decade. Don't our seniors deserve what our youngest citizens are receiving?
Bob Konrad
Chair, Public Policy Committee, Friends of Residents in Long Term Care, a statewide advocacy group for seniors and others living in nursing homes and adult care homes.